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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Thrifty Thursday: Best Organizational Solution EVER

Do you have overcrowded bookshelves? Do you cringe when you walk by your child's bookshelf and see it crammed with books that aren't perfectly lined according to size and width but know as soon as you organize it to your liking it will end up looking just like that again?

If you answered yes to either of those questions--oh my word!!!!!--do I have THE solution for you. This solution is so brilliant that it pretty much requires all of you to do it in your house immediately. I mean, you even may want it in like every room.

I was at my girl Anna's home for Memorial Day and walked into her playroom to witness this eye candy--a tidy semblance of books! Now, these shelves were not in her playroom the last time I was at her house, so, of course, I had to inquire. I assumed the answer would include words such as "Pottery Barn, Land of Nod, custom made, etc." Boy, was I wrong and had to pick up my jaw off the floor when the two word answer that my ears heard was, "rain gutters." Yep, you heard right--RAIN GUTTERS.

Maybe I live under a rock and this idea is old news but I find it revolutionary. Anna told me to google "rain gutter bookshelves" for a tutorial and to see the other layouts that people have implemented. I encourage you to do the same for your own personal inspiration. You will find an excellent tutorial here. This particular blog also explains that the rain gutter bookshelves "encourage children to read more because they can see the fronts of the books and are intrigued, rather than just seeing the edge of the book and not being able to tell what it is about. " Not to mention, it makes it waaaaay easier for the children to put away their books!

Already have a tidy book system? Don't put this brilliance in a box just yet! Perhaps you need a solution for your craft area/room...

or more gardening space and containers...

Are you wondering about the savings? A 2 foot version of a similar ledge from Pottery Barn would cost you $24.00 and the 3 foot would be $34.00 OR the children's version at Pottery Barn kids ranges from $39.00 to $59.00. At Home Depot, a whole 10 feet of white gutter is a mere $5.23 without any coupon or discounts. You may even be able to find some great gutters at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. No more justifiction needed. Get busy and be sure to share how you implement this concotion. I know I'll never look at rain gutters the same.